The Bridge on the River Kwai (1957)
Directed by David Lean
British prisoners in a Japanese jungle camp build a railway bridge in Siam, while an American who escaped to Ceylon is sent back through the jungle with a commando team to blow it up.
- Travel shown
- On foot, bike, skis or swimming
- Not shown on screen
- Fictional place
- 1Prison camp≈ 00:02:00Camp 16 and the bridge on the River Kwai (fictional)Stated on screenFictional
Nicholson's battalion marches in whistling and he defies Colonel Saito over officers working, while Shears escapes.
- 2Hospital and Force 316≈ 00:45:00Mount Lavinia, Sri LankaStated on screen
Recovering by the sea in Ceylon, Shears is pressed into joining Warden's mission to destroy the bridge.
- 3Building the bridge≈ 01:00:00Camp 16 and the bridge on the River Kwai (fictional)Stated on screenFictional
Nicholson throws himself into building a proper bridge as proof of British discipline.
- 3Commando trek≈ 01:15:00Jungle of western ThailandInferred
- 4The bridge at dawn≈ 02:20:00Camp 16 and the bridge on the River Kwai (fictional)Stated on screenFictional
The journey in numbers
- Distance travelled
- 4,604 km
- Places
- 3
- Countries
- 2
- Stops
- 5
- Not shown: 2,271 km
- Plane: 2,254 km
- On foot: 79 km
Distances are measured in a straight line between stops, so real road distances are longer.
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Every journey is checked against the film, but we can still get things wrong.